29 May

Oak Apple Day

This popular British festival is held annually on May 29 and commemorates the return of King Charles II from exile. It was on this day in 1660 that Charles made his triumphant return to London, thus ending the English Republic and Cromwell’s puritanical horrors. Celebrations include the ringing ing of bells, church services, bonfires, and the tossing of eggs at anyone not wearing an oak leaf.
From the very beginning, the essential elements of this festival have rested with the boughs of oak leaves-a representation sentation of the oak in which Charles had hidden from Parliamentary troops after his defeat at Worcester (in 1651). However, it is also possible that much of the tradition that is still held comes from a far older time, when worship of the oak was perpetuated by various Pagan cults.